This invention is directed toward a wind power generation assembly. More specifically, and without limitation, this invention relates to a scalable, reliable, and economical wind power generation assembly which utilizes sails to channel wind to a turbine assembly to convert the energy in the wind into safe, inexpensive, and point-of-use electrical power.
Throughout the previous decades, the growing scarcity, increased costs, and adverse environmental impact associated with traditional reliance upon non-renewable sources of energy, particularly fossil fuels, represent meaningful, if not acute incentives for the development of viable renewable energy sources. One of the most preferred and promising sources of renewable energy is wind. Wind is the leading candidate for global renewable energy for both developed countries that are attempting to reduce dependence on fossil fuels as well as developing countries seeking point-of-use electrical power generation in order to avoid the high costs of a power grid infrastructure.
However, wind as a renewable energy source is currently hampered by poor return-on-investment for most locations in the world, and existing wind power generation systems are plagued by severe drawbacks in terms of complexity, safety, reliability, serviceability, noise, strobing, high-wind intolerance, and size. Wind turbine requirements, particularly for non-wind farm applications, include reasonable payback which is influenced by factors such as ease and cost of manufacture, reliability, cost of installation, cost of energy conversion and storage, insurance, and efficiency, irrespective of and apart from the need to be dependent on government subsides. Another requirement of wind turbines is reliability, which includes the number of moving parts, size, stresses and torques even at high wind velocities. Safe operation in icy, rainy, snowy, and high-wind conditions represents another requirement of wind turbines, as well as the additional requirement of the need to be homeowner-friendly in terms of ease to installation, ease of servicing/repair, quiet and safe operation, and visual appeal. Finally, wind turbines must be environmentally friendly which includes considerations such as any impact on local wildlife and further turbines must have little to no impact on navigation or weather radar. Existing wind turbine solutions struggle to meet these requirements, largely because much of the effort has been for wind farms or for one-off private, off-grid use.
Furthermore, in order for wind power to be a viable, long-term solution, it must have a good return on investment or have a low cost per kWh over the life of the turbine. Most of the industry's focus has been on taking advantage of economy of scale for horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs), which represent the most efficient and thus the most common and widely utilized turbines. In addition, HAWTs can be made very large which contributes to available output torque. The foregoing considerations of turbine size as well as economies of scale have provided existing HAWT systems and implementations with the ability to produce relatively inexpensive electricity.
However, such HAWTs are characterized by considerable drawbacks. Given the industry's focus on economies of scale, innovation in terms of design has focused primarily on making, controlling, and transporting blades. As a result, blade design has become extremely complicated, which has led to an array of additional problems. The large HAWT blades are cantilevered and are subject to high stresses, present safety issues as accumulated ice can build up on the blades and fly off at high speeds, cause a hazard for fauna, produce significant audio noise and visual distractions such as a strobing effect, and can have a significant impact on both aircraft navigation and weather radar.
Existing HAWTs provide additional problems, which due to their blade and overall size have required significant efforts to deal with high winds. Additionally, power conversion represents another drawback of HAWTs; because the mechanical energy is rotating around an axis parallel to the ground, such energy must be either converted with a right-angle gearbox or converted to electrical energy in the rotating structure, causing additional problems with serviceability, cost due to the extra weight or parts, and reliability. Therefore there exists a need in the art that addresses these problems.
Therefore a primary object of this invention is to provide a wind power generation assembly which effectively converts wind energy into electrical power more economically at a lower cost per kWh over the life of the assembly.
Another object of this invention is to provide a reliable wind power generation assembly which utilizes proven and inexpensive technology for electrical power generation.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a wind power generation assembly which minimizes the complexity and number of individual parts as well as size, stresses, and torques such that the assembly is equipped to convert the energy in the wind into electrical power at high wind velocities.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a wind power generation assembly which has a low manufacturing, installation, energy conversion, and storage cost, is easy to use, install, service and operate and additionally is quiet, safe, visually appealing and environmentally friendly, having no adverse impact on the environment, wildlife, or navigation or weather radar.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a scalable and portable wind power generation assembly which provides robust construction capable of point-of-use operation in a variety of harsh conditions.
These and other objects, features or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification and claims.